3 Best Performing Arts Venues in Around the Duomo, Florence

This magnificent Art Deco theater, opened in 1922, has been transformed into a versatile cultural space with a bookstore, movie theater, and restaurant–bar. More than 25,000 books (there's an English-language section) fill the marble entrance and expansive ground floor. The upper galleries, with plush velvet theater chairs, are good places to take a break from sightseeing during the day and to watch international films in their original languages at night. A hidden restaurant and bar to the right of the entrance stays open after midnight (when the movies finish) and is a cozy setting for brunch, lunch, dinner, and drinks; its attached Piazza degli Strozzi patio is a popular aperitivo spot.

The British Institute of Florence runs English-language events; the programmer has a penchant for classic movies and the institute sometimes screens films. Also on offer here are weekly lectures, concerts, and a stunning library.

This orchestra performs various classical music concerts (many of them free) throughout the year at churches, villas, and museums. Past performances have filled Orsanmichele, the Bargello, and Santo Spirito Church with the orchestra's music.